Jimmy McKeon from Stradbally, County Laois, a master craftsman and a skilled expert in stone carving, started his own business in Stradbally in 1950. Since then, McKeon Stone has been extracting large premium blocks of stone, using world-class technology, from their 20-acre site. Built stone The special features and versatility of natural blue limestone offer architects, builders and sculptors countless…

As a master craftsman, Jimmy McKeon was already a skilled carver of stone when he launched his own business quarrying one of the most versatile types of stone in Ireland – McKeon’s Kilkenny Blue Limestone.

McKeon Stone is the sole remaining Irish-owned limestone quarry in Ireland and specialises in providing a bespoke cutting and carving service carried out at their workshop in Stradbally.

Brendan Mc Gloin is a self-taught sculptor with a penchant for surfing (when he’s not carving masterpieces, that is) who has been working with stone for the past 25 years. Brendan originally qualified as a Graphic Designer but got hooked on carving stone in Bristol, followed by several years in Australia and New Zealand, working with the Australian Board of Works in Sydney, where he made a valuable contribution to restoration projects such as St. Mary’s Cathedral, Sydney Museum and the Land and Titles building.

2018 Prizes

Over €2,200 in prize money was awarded to the winners of this year’s stone awards at the Sculpture in Context in the National Botanic Gardens sponsored by McKeon Stone. Yvonne Mc Keon presented the prizes to the award-winning sculptors.

History Revived

When a landmark building has stood since 1770 and has always been regarded as one of the finest eighteenth-century buildings in Dublin, its refurbishment and adaptation for modern use calls for the finest in design, architecture and materials.

Here at McKeon Stone we were thrilled at the opportunity last year to play host to one of Ireland’s most talented living sculptors, Simon Carman. On June 9th, 2018, Carman returned to give an illustrated talk on his work at our stone yard in one of our special sculptural events which we hold on a regular basis.

Here at McKeon Stone we quarry some of the best limestone on our planet. Our Kilkenny Blue Limestone is sought after by some of the world’s most talented sculptors as their material of choice when creating sublime works of art. As such, we were delighted to learn that our stunning Kilkenny Blue Limestone was featured at the “on form – Sculpture in Stone” exhibition, the UK’s only art exhibition dedicated exclusively to stone sculpture.

We all know that stone is durable, it’s been the building material of choice throughout history. Archaeological sites around the world feature building made of stone that have endured for thousands of years. Here at McKeon Stone, we source our famous blue limestone from our own limestone quarry in Threecastles, Kilkenny and cut and craft it to each of our customer’s unique designs. We’ve been doing this since 1950 but the sought-after blue limestone from Threecastles quarry has been a popular choice since time immemorial because it stands the test of time.